When it comes to conflict resolution, negotiation is considered as one of the best techniques as it considers the perspectives of both parties involved in the conflict. Also, negotiation preserves the perspectives of both parties providing a mutually beneficial conflict resolution.
Conflict resolution has become one of the hot topics nowadays. Whether the discussion is going on team building, communication skills, leadership or negotiation, conflict resolution comes into the picture naturally. Also, there are several methods and techniques to resolve a conflict. However, negotiation and conflict resolution are considered as counterparts of each other.
If you too want to get your workplace disputes resolved then consider using negotiation technique with the help of a professional and unbiased negotiator. Negotiation is not just about talking out and negotiating things, it is much more than that. There are some activities that make negotiation and conflict resolution easy and efficient. Let us have a look at these activities that will help you identify the issues and manage the difficult relationships:
Arm Wrestling
Arm wrestling is a quick and simple activity where pairs are set up in such a way that it looks like an arm-wrestling challenge. It all depends upon the teams involved whether they want to approach this activity as a wrestle or as an opportunity to understand and value each other. It unearths our tendency to assume and approach negotiation as a win-lose game.
Knot or No Knot
It is a bit more powerful negotiation activity. In this activity, a length of rope is placed on the ground out of sight of the group involved in the conflict. Two different colored ropes can be used for making it more difficult. The purpose of this activity for the group is to decide whether there will be a knot or not while pulling the ends of the rope. However, before allowing the teams to examine the rope closely, they are asked to come up with a consequence that the entire group will perform if their guess goes wrong. Moreover, the decision of the group needs to be unanimous and that’s where the fun begins. Usually, there will be one or more people in the group who are strongly opinionated one way or the other. And these people are the focal points for the negotiator. The negotiator gets a unanimous decision by voting and then asks the person who caved why they changed. Also, the person who went against the strong opinion of the group is asked a question – if they are made the leader of the group and their decision will be considered as the final one what would they do? This activity helps the group value the decisions of others and work as a team.
Nine Dots Challenge
It is an activity that involves “thinking out of the box” approach. In this activity, a piece of paper is used on which nine dots are made in a 3 x 3 grid. The challenge here is to connect the nine dots with only four straight lines without lifting the pencil from the paper.
The solution is – Start from one corner and draw a diagonal line to the opposite corner. Then, make a horizontal line from that dot to the dot at the other side of your square, but continue forward the length of a fourth imaginary dot. Next, draw diagonally through two middle dots and continue your line to the next imaginary dot. At last, draw a vertical line through the remaining dots. And it’s done. This activity allows the people involved in the conflicts to be more analytical and practical while thinking the other way to understand others’ perspectives.
Author Information:
This article is written by Michael Gregory Consulting, LLC, a well-known consulting firm established by Michael Gregory, an internationally acclaimed negotiator. To understand how negotiation and conflict resolution are intermingled and know more about Mike visit https://mikegreg.com/mediation-and-conflict-resolution